Monday, April 30, 2012

Getting My License

Well, it’s official.I am a licensed driver in two countries.How many people can say that? :)

To get that license was quite an adventure and I thought I
would share that adventure with all my blog members…if anyone still takes the
time to read it.

The first thing we had to do was go to one office to see if
my international license was enough.The woman at that office didn’t know the answer so we had to go to a
different place in the same strip mall.The guy there said that I could get a license if I wanted to, but the
international license was good enough.We decided since we had driven 2 hours and rented a guesthouse for 2
nights just so I could get my license, that we would go ahead and get it.So we went back to the first office to
get me a TIN (Tanzanian Identification Number) which identifies me, but could
also mean they would require I pay taxes which would be a very big pain.Well, the woman in this office once
again sent us back to the TRA (Tanzanian Revenue Authority) that was the
building she had sent us to the first time so I could fill out a required
form.The TRA is the Tanzanian
equivalent to the BMV (as far as I could tell).We turned this form in to one of the guys working in the
office.He told us he would waive
the need for a TIN so we didn’t have to go back to the lady we started
with.This was a good thing
because now I don’t need to worry about paying taxes years from now when I’m
not even in Tanzania.Then I gave
my fingerprints (to make sure I’m not a wanted criminal) and they took my
picture and put my information in the computer.For those of us familiar with the licensing process in the
US, you would think the process would be finishing up, but we’re not even
close.At this point I have to go
to the traffic police so they can sign a form saying I am capable of
driving.We needed to get the
signatures of 2 different men.By
the time we got there, they were both gone for the day so we would have to
return the next day.We were told
they would get in around 9am the next day.

The next day, we got there just a little before 9 and were
waiting around for a little bit.When they didn’t show up by 9:30, we asked one of the guys in the office
what time we should expect them and we were told 10 this time.So we went and ran other errands.By the time we got back, the men had
gone for their tea break.So we
waited some more.Finally, both men
were in their office.We had to
wait some more for the people who were there before us to meet with him.He easily signed my form and was
incredibly nice and helpful.He
enjoyed trying out his English speaking abilities with me and showed us where
we needed to go after talking to the second traffic police guy.The second guy put my information in a
big book and then sent us back to the first building we had been in the day
before.So we returned there but
this time went up to the very top floor to an air-conditioned office where the
guy working there added the traffic police approval into the computer under my
file that had been started the previous day.Then we went back to the TRA where I stood in a line and
told them I had finished with the police.They gave me a note to take to the bank to give them my money for the
license.I took it to the bank
next door because I read on the form that it was one of the approved
banks.This ended up shaving
several hours off my adventure because there was no wait at this bank whereas
the bank the missionaries were used to using with licensing had a queue that
was about 30 people long and across town.Then I went back to the TRA, we showed them all my paperwork and
expected them to tell us to come back tomorrow to get my finished license.Instead they said… “One week”

That’s right.I
spent all that time and didn’t even walk away from our 2-day adventure with the
actual license.Thankfully, Mavuto
had to return to Mtwara for other reasons, so he picked it up while he was
there.So now, I have two forms of
identification that are driver’s licenses.

Now that you’ve read through the entire description of the
process, I come to the point of telling you all about it.The next time you visit a US BMV and
start complaining about the wait or the hoops you have to jump through, just
think of how much more difficult it could be. :)